Product Description

Creativity oozes from this rollicking rhymefest, an animated retelling of some well-loved classic nursery rhymes. The 30-minute rappin' romp is part of the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series. A star-studded cast of celebrities lend their voices, including Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Smits, and Denzel Washington. The merriment takes place in Mother Gooseberg Land, where Old King Cole reigns over the likes of Little Miss Muffet, Georgie Porgie, and the rest of the gang who take their poetic direction from the grand dame of rhyme herself, Mother Gooseberg. Yet all is not well in the land of make-believe. Seems that Mother Gooseberg wants to retire from her life of rhyme, due to a litany of complaints from the villagers. Jack is upset because of repeated head injuries from falling down the hill (he laments, "When Jill and I fall down the hill, look what happens to our medical bill"). The Crooked Man wants to straighten up, and Little Bo Peep has grown indifferent toward lost sheep. Add to that King Cole's distress when Mother Gooseberg suddenly calls a moratorium on rhyming--"For a kingdom used to rhyming in verse, the situation is growing worse!" he cries.

Kudos to the film's producers for representing several races and cultures through its animated characters. And while kids will be captivated by the fast-moving tale, adults will smile at the clever humor directed at them, such as when Humpty Dumpty proclaims his name change to "The Egg Formerly Known as Dumpty." (Ages 3 and older) --Lynn Gibson